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Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2-2 WBA

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it wasn't until a few days after the win at sunderland that i realized i could probably stop worrying.

the baggies were now on 39 points, were 11th in the table and nothing short of complete collapse would see them struggling in terms of PREMIER LEAGUE survival. there will almost certainly be top-flight football (and more £40-plus ticket prices) again at the hawthorns next season.



with the possibility of roy hodgson's appointment becoming long-term - and with an eye towards development of the club as a "consolidated" PREMIER LEAGUE commodity - we could be at the outset of a really good time at the hawthorns.

however, it's not the 1970's and top-three finishes for the baggies are an occasion long since disappeared from the realms of possibility; but, i can see, for example, maybe a successful run in one of the domestic cup competitions and/or qualifying for the EUROPA LEAGUE. who knows?

any kind of top-ten finish next season will be considered nothing short of genius management and a brilliant, shining success. right now, however, the goal will be the same as it was this year: 17th in league table or better. from a practical point of view, anything more would be highly speculative and probably unrealistic.

the hallmark of this year's albion team has been their ability to always be competitive. that is, they always played well against the top clubs and were usually able to raise their game to meet the occasion. the rather sensational arrival of peter odemwingie aside, this quality would still have its roots in the kind of side that tony mowbray was about developing, and which roberto di matteo took one step further. in fact, hodgson's genius has been to take the work and vision of the previous two gaffers and galvanize their styles and practices into a winning proposition.



and so it was at white hart lane. the baggies went head-to-head with one of the most exciting attacking teams in the PREMIER LEAGUE and came away with a thoroughly deserved point thanks to simon cox' first goal in the top-flight.

having come on as a late substition - and with the baggies chasing the game - the young striker took his opportunity as the ball fell for him at the top of the box. cox curled an unstoppable shot past a stretching heurelho gomes and into the top corner of the tottenham net for a cracking goal of the first order.

WBA 1-3 Chelsea F.C.

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what more realistic manner for the baggies' - and new gaffer, roy hodgson's - unbeaten run to come to an end than with a loss in the face of what was really a technically superior performance by the current league champions? i don't think anyone would have too many complaints or grumbles about the outcome of this one.

there was however, several minutes following peter odemwingie's 12th goal of the season - and setting a new individual club goal scoring record for a west brom team in the post-PREMIER LEAGUE era - where it looked like the baggies were going to do it again.

while chelsea gave their opposition precious little possession in the first quarter-of-an-hour, the albion went 1-0 up in the 17th minute. on what was virtually the first move forward for the baggies, the blues were caught with the backline playing too high. james morrison took advantage and put a short ball down the centre for thomas who pushed the ball on for odemingie to chip the chelsea keeper, pedr cech. there was the familiar faint wiff of another unlikely victory over one of the best teams in europe in the air.



but it was all rather short-lived as didier drogba levelled the score just minutes later. salomon kalou, and eventually frank lampard, made sure there would be no fanciful heroics from the baggies this week. chelsea were by far the batter team in all categories and the baggies never really got a foot-hold in the game.

in light of the albion's recent form this was somewhat sobering and out of character with the performances that the baggies have put in against top 5 sides this season. in fact, manchester city was the only other side in the current top 7 that the baggies have taken no points from this season in the league. they did, however, manage to knock the sky blues out of the LEAGUE CUP in the 2nd round.

as the season winds down and the baggies look more and more like they will be facing the "second season syndrome" of the PREMIER LEAGUE as their next crucial long-term test, there is little to criticize and much to be admired about our club at the moment.